


Christmas halogen lights

by Metalsappho



Series: Metall/u/rgy [48]
Category: Metall/u/rgy
Genre: Christmas, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-26 06:23:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13229874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metalsappho/pseuds/Metalsappho
Summary: The old HΓN sorority is reunited in the spirit of Christmas, but that won't stop Fluorine from flirting, Chlorine from teasing, Bromine from laughing, Astatine from blushing and Iodine from scolding.(Place in the timeline: some recent Christmas)





	Christmas halogen lights

“Premium quality free-range turkey, lovingly roasted, chestnuts and penny buns picked by yours truly during the autumn, all carefully laid on a bed of cream-soaked, homemade dough to create the latest word in Christmas-themed delicacy, I shall name it 'THE MERRY PIZZAMAS'!”

Chlorine very dramatically put the giant plate supporting her creation on the table and proudly stood there, basking in the reactions of the women seated at the table, and she wasn’t disappointed. 

At the rightmost side of the table, with long fluorescent yellow bed hair and hungry fushia eyes, Fluorine was looking very pleased with Chlorine’s handiwork if her goofy expression was to be believed. She was lightly dressed, taking advantage of the comfortable warmth of Chlorine’s place and wearing a very short black bustier “covered” by a black fishnet top paired with cream leather bell bottoms.

“Ohhhh incredible, Chloe! You really are the best!” she said with enthusiasm.

On Fluorine’s left, Bromine’s face too was looking impressed and hungry but in much more reserved way than Fluorine’s. She was also much less flamboyantly dressed, wearing a simple mariniere, blue jeans, and thick five-digit socks. She did have a very distinctive feature in the shape of her beautiful wavy auburn hair which cascaded past her shoulders.

“Strange, but looks tasty Chloe!” she approved.

On Bromine’s left, half buried in a dark purple hoodie far too big for her and grey shapeless baggy trousers, Astatine was looking mainly surprised and unsure, her green eyes piercing through her mass of disheveled black hair.

“Um...is this really how you make a Christmas turkey?” she inquired.

Finally, at the leftmost side of the table, dressed neatly in a lace shirt and a long yoke-waist skirt, Iodine made a quite pronounced wry expression that was framed by her long dark purple hair she let down for the occasion.

“Sooooo…” she said “you put the traditional Christmas turkey…on a pizza?”

“Yup!” proudly said Chlorine.

“Along with the chestnuts and the penny buns?”

“Yup!”

“Aaaaaaaah” loudly sighed Iodine “I just can’t keep up with you girls, I’m surprised I got to keep my sanity after years of hanging around with you crazies.”

“Oh come on don’t be such a wet blanket, Iodie” teased Fluorine, “feel the spirit of Christmas!”

“Yeah, yeah, you just want to party don't you?”

“Course I do! But even a goodie-two-shoes like you can appreciate our old sorority reunited.”

“Yeah, that much I can agree with, even if it hasn’t been that long, adult life tends to get ahold of you and won’t let you go easily.”

“Yeah” said Bromine “I know the reunion has been put off because I’ve been busy, sorry girls.”

“Oh please” said Chlorine while running up to her and hugging her “we all know owning a business is tough, don’t sweat it honey!”

“Speaking of which” said Fluorine “now that the dust has somewhat settled, how are things going?”

“It’s going well” said Bromine with a tired but happy expression “there were quite a lot of headaches while searching for the place and all the paperwork involved but all of that has been wrapped up.”

“It's in the Hearth, right?” asked Iodine 

“Yes.”

“I should visit you one these days, but work is a bit far from there.”

“Come on Saturday, we're open then and there's no school that day, right?”

“School is open, mainly for clubs, but I don't work that day, sounds like a plan!”

“Nice, really looking forward to it, you girls will come too?”

“Of course!” immediately yelled Fluorine “I would NEVER, EVER, miss it.”

“Why do I feel that I'm going to regret this?” said Iodine rolling her eyes.

“It's fine, Iodie” said Bromine “the both of us should be enough to handle Fluo.”

“Not if she's with her beloved partner in crime…”

“Well don't worry about that” said Chlorine with a smirk “I'm busy on weekends so I'll come during a weekday.”

“Whaaaaat” lamented Fluorine “you're ditching me? How cruel!”

“Sorry sweetie, weekends are a no go but I'll be lonely not going with you girls, maybe I should snatch Hydra and Asta along for the ride!”

This surprised Astatine who looked shocked and started to panic.

“W-what, um no, I d-don't think it's a good idea...”

“That's because it isn't” said Iodine “I don't trust Asta in your care.”

“HOW MEAN!” protested Fluorine and Chlorine in unison.

“Am I wrong?” retaliated Iodine while keeping eye contact with both at once.

“Well...technically…” began Fluorine...

“I certainly won't force you to tag along with Pinky and Perky, Asta” interrupted Bromine “but you'll be coming in some capacity, right?”

“O-of course!” said Astatine with a happy smile, “I can come with Palladium, right?”

“Why are you asking?” enthusiastically said Bromine while holding Astatine's hands “you and your significant other are always welcome in my house whenever you want!”

“T-thanks Bromie” Astatine bashfully said.

“Speaking of significant others” said Fluorine with a teasing voice “how are things going for you Bromie?”

“Huh going for me...what?”

“Oh come on Bromie, work is all well and all, but what about life besides that?”

A lonely expression showed on Bromine's face, prompting Iodine to scold Fluorine.

“Fluo, you really have the tact and thoughtfulness of a hunting lioness.”

“But _I am_ a hunting lioness!”

“Are you hunting Bromie?”

“I did in the past, but it looks like you’re still clinging on to your old childhood sweetheart? Come one Bromie it’s time to move on now, the world has many wonderful women, I'll get one for you!”

“You better run away while you still can, Bromie!” warned Iodine.

Bromine laughed at it “Haha yeah I think I'll pass your offer Fluo.”

“So what? You're just going to cling on the memory of that Arsenic forever? You're young and beatiful, what a waste!”

“Yeah but...it's not that simple…”

“How is it not that simple? I know a lot of girls at clubs that will fuck you so hard you'll be forgetting that Arsenic gal after a the first night!”

“I agree with Fluo,” said Chloe “you have everything to have a beautiful girlfriend, I'm sure Arsenic is a great person, but she's not here, is she?”

“Well maybe, but still Arsenic and I shared so much, even before we got together...she's very dear to me and I regret letting us drift apart every day. I miss her very very badly and I don't believe anyone would make me forget her.”

“I think it's beautiful.” innocently said Astatine.

The unexpected intervention made everybody silent and staring at her. Suddenly at the center of attention, Astatine lit up from a very intense luminous blush and stared stuttering and flailing about.

“W-well I-I mean you've been with her since childhood and been together for a long time s-so the connection between you two is strong and...and...e-excuse me I'm going to the bathroom!” Astatine sprung out of her chair, hurried out of the room by the wrong door, then came back in and finally went through the right one.”

There was a small silence while everybody processed the scene, then Bromine spoke up “Asta is an unexpected romantic, huh?”

“She does have a point.” said Iodine.

“Y-you think so?” Bromine always sounded more nervous when taking advice from Iodine, as she takes what she says very seriously.

“Well, the end decision belongs to you, Bromie, but the bond between you and Arsenic is nothing to sneeze at; you two have a lot of history and while you lost sight of each other, I don't think everything is said and done yet.”

“Yeah but...it's likely that Arsenic moved on and I'm the only one still hung up on it…” Bromine's expression showed her loneliness for a moment.

“I don't think it's as likely as you think, sure I may be wrong, but from what I remember from Arsenic, she's a very amorous person, I don't think she's one to easily forget.”

“You're getting my hopes up you know Iodie…”

“Heh, I would lie if I'm not hoping you to get back together with Arsenic, you girls had something truly special, despite what the nymphos here may say.”

“Oi!” protested Fluorine.

“Are you targeting me as well?” said Chlorine with an overplayed tearful expression “even though I've been a loyal wife!”

“You're less nympho and more completely warped, anyway Bromie only you can decide what you ultimately want but you can count on my support anytime!”

“Thanks Iodie, this means a lot for me!”

“Anytime dear.” Iodine got up and went to hug Bromine tightly before heading out of the room “I'm going to see if Asta calmed down.”

* * *

The Christmas dinner carried until early hours of the morning, when it was time for the girls to part. Chlorine was completely wasted and got put in bed, Bromine who was only mildly drunk elected to stay and look after her. With Astatine having been picked up by her girlfriend Palladium, Iodine and Fluorine took their leave together. After a warm goodbye hug to Bromine, the two friends walked out of the building, arm locked into the cold but beautiful night. The streets were covered in fresh white snow but the clouds have dissipated letting a full moon lit up the street along with the pale yellow glow of the public lighting, creating a very dreamy atmosphere.

“It was fun, wasn’t it Iodie?” said Fluorine with enthusiasm.

“Hmmhmm” simply answered Iodine.

“Oh come on honey, don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself, I know your grumpy face!”

Iodine looked at Fluorine with a warm expression “You’re right, I did enjoy it very much, it was nice to see everyone, it’s just that you and Chloe are as exhausting as you're enjoyable.”

“Enjoyable and exhausting uh… Fluorine grabbed Iodine by the waist and whispered to her hear with her most teasing voice “you said the same thing about me back then...” 

Fluorine very heavily rubbed her cheeks against Iodine’s, but didn’t get the reaction she was hoping for.

“Y’see Fluo, that tactic would’ve worked back then, but not anymore.”

“So mean! But I did get some nice reactions from you during the party!”

“Because I just can’t get used to you and Chloe being two overgrown children at once, especially when you keep picking on Asta.”

“Whaaaaat? It’s just playful teasing.”

“But it’s Asta, and…forget it, I don’t think you’re even physically capable to understand her, I mean, even Chloe is getting better at it. Anyway the point is, we’re not students anymore.”

“How can you be so cold, Iodie? it’s as if what we had didn’t exist!” whined Fluorine with an overly dramatic expression.

“Oh no I remember, Fluo, and to be honest, I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon. Our relationship did teach me a lot, despite the fact that in hindsight, it was doomed to failure since the very beginning. It was a valuable experience but it is in the past, right now we are friends, despite everything, and we both have our sweethearts. So yeah, I grew out of it so your teasing won't affect me anymore.”

“Dammit! I knew you were a stick-in-the-mud, but that has gotten much worse since college ended!”

Iodine smirked “Hehe, should’ve brought your pal Chloe along, too bad she’s smashed to smithereens.”

“Damn, you Chloe, you’re paying for this!” Fluorine shook her fist in a fake outrage.

Iodine let a beat pass before speaking again “That being said, there’s one thing I miss from when we were together.”

“Whaaaaaat?” said Fluorine with her biggest smirk.

“Back then, you showed me more of your true feelings; sometimes you were sad or angry – not often mind you – but ever since we broke up you keep wearing that clown outfit, constantly teasing and joking around. I got the impression I’m not really talking to you but some sort of caricature of yourself.” Iodine made a somewhat dramatic pause “You know, I see all the time among teenagers, it's often a mask that hides serious problems the person doesn't want to deal with...that's not your case, right?”

“What? Nooooo, Iodie please, I have a genuinely fulfilling life with two great girlfriends, a job that I love, plenty of friends...this is just who I am, you know I’m a flirt!”

“Oh boy do I know you’re a flirt...but I know you’re also more than that, and it’s a bit that I find missing when we talk to eachother.”

Both women fell silent, still arm locked. Iodine was taking in the beautiful spectacle of the snow-clad street while Fluorine looked lost in thought. After a few minutes of silence only perturbed by the sounds of their steps in the snow, Fluorine spoke up.

“You really have a knack for asking questions people struggle to answer, uh?” she said with a grin.

“Bringing out the true character of people is kinda my job you know.” Iodine replied with a smile.

“That’s true, and it’s something I never really thought about, you know I kind of live life without asking myself stuff, I just do what feels good...and I must say teasing you feels reeeeally good.”

She let a beat pass before continuing “But that stuff about letting other emotions show, I think it might really be a lovers thing, because I’m fairly certain I’m quite expressive around Krypton and Xenon.”

“So not even your friends get to see that side of you?”

“I guess, but it’s not like they really ask to see that side of me, like, do you imagine Chloe having your way of thinking?”

“Definitely not, but you and Chloe really are in a league of your own.”

“My, thanks for the compliment! But Bromine too don’t seem like that either.”

“You’re selling Bromie really cheap, she might do things at her own pace but she’s more curious about her surroundings than you might think, and I'm positive she picked that side of you - or rather, that missing side of you - a long time ago.”

“Really? Gee Iodie you really have the eye for these small things.”

“I think it’s more that you’re completely blind to these small things yourself.” replied Iodine completely deadpan.

“Ow, that burned!”

“Even Asta is savvier than you on that front…that being said, I don’t think she cares much about you, let alone the true you.”

“Yeah, even though we were part of the same sorority, I never got to be friends with her.”

“OH GEEZ I WONDER HOW THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE” said Iodine quite loud while throwing a blank yet piercing stare at Fluorine.

“Alright, alright, I know it's my fault but I can't help it, you see?”

“No, I don't.” bluntly said Iodine.

“Alright, let's just gloss over that then. Like I said I think I only show the complete package to the people I share a bed with, which is why you got to see it but don't anymore.”

“So it's gone forever?”

“Well-”

“Can't you make an exception for me?”

“Ohhh Iodie, how daring, you like me that much?”

“I don't hate you if that's what you're asking; you are, despite everything, a good friend so I want to see the true you, not the clown persona you like to wear.”

Iodine's words left Fluorine genuinely speechless and a light blush formed on her cheeks. Part of her wanted to sneak in a lewd and carefree answer, perhaps a tongue-in-cheek invitation to join her harem, but Iodine managed to strike her thoughtful side which briefly took control.

“Alright Iodie, I can do that for you, you're special to me after all!”

“I shiver at the implications of this...” said a distrustful Iodine.

“I'm serious Iodie! I'm not the same person I was, I settled down lately.”

“Yeah...I guess for you it kinda counts as settling down.”

“Well, it was in no small part thanks to you and your armor piercing personality, you really give people something to think about, even me.”

“Thank you.” said Iodine while leaning against Fluorine.

Fluorine's lewd side then went for a lewd joke but Iodine caught her when she opened her grinning mouth .

“Please don't kill the mood” she simply said.

Caught red handed, Fluorine smiled to herself; Iodine really was one of a kind and she wondered if one day she'll be able to best her.

Well that day could wait for now “Merry Christmas, Iodie.” she said softly.

“Merry Christmas, Fluo.” answered Iodie.

The two friends then kept silent while walking, simply enjoying each other's company while contemplating the enchanting atmosphere of the snow covered city.

**Author's Note:**

> It was part of the original concept to have all halogens share something which turned out being part of the same college sorority, however their actual interactions were largely unknown since they were mainly depicted among their romantic and familiar circles (F with Kr and Xe, Cl with Hg, At with Pd and I with Te) so I did some digging into the world of interhalogen compounds to find so inspiration. There are quite a few types of interhalogens and almost any combination exist but there are two interesting outliers which I translated into the setting@
> 
> \- There is not a single At-F compound, even diatomic, whith is referrenced by F stating she didn't get to be friends with At. The idea is that At is friends with I and Br, and can manage to tolerate Cl, but F is a no-go
> 
> \- The only octatomic compound is Iodine heptafluoride, which is present in the form of F and I having been the only couple to exist during their sorority, which add to the fact that they act as foil of each other. Also of note is that Bromine heptafluoride synthetization as been attempted but was met with failure, translated here by F having attempted to lay her hands on Br.


End file.
